W a l l s
by Ninny-na
Summary: Merlin was a master at keeping people out. And then he met Arthur Pendragon. / Slash-PreSlash-Friendship. However you want to view it. Oneshot.


**DNO.**

**This is... whatever you want it to be. Pre-slash, slash, friendship. It's free to your interpretation.**

**-**  
_There once was a boy_  
_who surrounded himself with walls._  
**-**

Merlin was a strange child.  
Different.  
_Special._  
So much so, that the first lesson his mother ever taught him was that **no one **was to find out about his 'gift'.  
Not his best friend, Will, not the pretty girl down the street, nor the nice old lady who baked fresh rolls every Monday.  
Not a soul.

**-**_  
He built them to keep himself safe  
by keeping others out.  
_**-**

Merlin was a good boy, so he listened to his Mother. He never spoke a word about his magic to anyone and tried very earnestly to cut back on it's use.  
He also kept himself distant from others, to make sure he never became so attached he revealed himself.  
Sure, he was still Merlin, but no one really knew who _Merlin _really was.

**-**  
_No one had ever managed to scale these walls,_  
_until one day..._  
**-**

Will finding out had been a complete accident, but his Mother was still furious.  
In her panic induced fury, she did three things:  
Scream.  
Cry.  
And send Merlin as far away as she could.  
Away from Selkirk's Kingdom.  
Away from Ealdor.  
Away from Will.  
To Camelot, to Gauis.  
To his _destiny._

**-**  
_A different boy began to climb,_  
_who would slowly begin to make it over._  
**-**

When Merlin met Arthur, he thought nothing of him. Other than the fact the Prince was a prattish ass who thought himself better then everyone.  
Then the fates decided it would absolutely _hilarious _ to pair the two up. The God of Fates was drinking some serious ale that day.  
But Merlin was a responsible man, so he did as he was asked (told) and became the Prince's new manservant, figuring he could be fired in a few days.  
But then the jerk actually started speaking to Merlin like an actual human being.  
And when Arthur said, "I trust you." Merlin felt like his walls were breaking.  
Which wasn't good.

**-**_  
So the other boy, surround by the walls, did the only thing he could.  
He made the walls higher.  
_**-**

Merlin panicked.  
His box, his sanctuary, his safe zone, was starting to come crashing down.  
It was all the Prince's fault as well, though as to how or why Merlin wasn't sure.  
Arthur wasn't suppose to have this affect on him, he wasn't suppose to trust him, or be the young warlock's 'other side'. Whatever _that _meant.  
The Prince... was a prince! The son of Uther Pendragon, the king, who hated magic more then anything else in the world!  
Merlin couldn't get close to him.  
For everyone's sake.

**-**_  
This didn't deter the other person,  
who simply kept on climbing.  
_**-**

Merlin's seclusion did not hinder Arthur, which was highly annoying.  
In fact, it had the opposite effect.  
The blonde haired man started going to the young warlock for help more often. Asking for advice, telling him to muck out the stalls, or to accompany him on a hunting trip.  
It was so wrong.  
But Merlin loved it.

**-**_  
the one hidden by the walls was becoming nervous.  
the walls were beginning to crumble.  
_**-**

The butterflies were starting to become extremely annoying.  
They were the ones that could stop you in your tracks, that caused your breathing to stumble, and could knock you on your ass.  
They were the kind that Merlin felt whenever the young Pendragon touched him; whether it was a smack on the head, or a hand on the shoulder.  
It was really starting to get on the black haired boy's nerves.  
Especially since it happened most often when the two spoke and their conversations were becoming more and more frequent.  
'Leave me alone Arthur, go ask Morgana or someone.'  
_"I could, but I want _**you**_"  
The bastard.  
He was starting to see the light__._

**-**_  
One day, the climbing boy made it to the top and peered over the edge,  
The child that wad stuck did the only thing he could think of  
_**-**

Ealdor was under attack.  
_His _Ealdor.  
His home, his haven.  
His responsibility.  
Of course he had to go back when bandits ravaged it.  
Or course it was absolutely unnecessary for Arthur to come along.  
But he did it anyways.  
Almost passing Merlin's barriers in the process.

**-**_  
In a panic, he quickly closed his space up.  
shutting himself off even more.  
_**-**

Seclusion was horrible.  
Lying was terrible.  
Doing both at the same time was even worse.  
Merlin hated closing himself off to Arthur. The look on his Prince's face when he refused to look him in the eyes was only rubbing salt in the wound.  
Yet Merlin kept with this pattern.  
It was the only way to stay safe.

**-**_  
This didn't stop the other.  
_**-**

Though, in all honesty, he really shouldn't have expected Arthur to just give up. That went against everything the King has taught his son.  
In fact, the Prince was so good that he was able to do it subconsciously.  
'Merlin, you know I hate it when you keep something from me, so just stop it and tell me what's going on!'  
It was almost enough to make Merlin cry.  
Almost.  
'Nothing is going on Sire, now stop stalling. You have a feast to attend.'

**-**_  
He simply took out a hammer and began to beat at the top  
slowly wearing it down.  
_**-**

The interrogations only continued. Each time Arthur would lost his temper faster then the day before.  
The questions never changed, but the volume they were asked in sure did.  
'What wrong with you lately?'  
'Is there something you're not telling me?'  
'Why don't you trust me?'  
The last one cut Merlin the deepest, because he **did **trust Arthur. It was the **Prince **he had issues with.  
Not that it really mattered.  
Merlin was tired of the charade anyways; he could only hope the walls gave way to _his _Arthur. Not the King's son.

**-**_  
The child could do nothing.  
He could only stare at the cracks and pray it held out.  
_**-**

Hunith has always told her son that no good could come from people finding out about his magic.  
Gauis had always said that saying in the shadows was best.  
Will... well, he basically said Arthur was a prat.  
And Arthur only said that, 'no man is worth your tears.'  
So why was it that the young warlock spent almost every night in his room crying, wishing that he could scream to the world he was a sorcerer?  
Why did it hurt so much to see his world come crashing down?  
Perhaps it was because Merlin knew there was nothing he could do about it.  
He would soon go against everything they ever taught him.  
Even if he wished he didn't.

**-**_  
It didn't.  
_**-**

Merlin hadn't meant to use magic in front of Arthur. It just... happened  
A vase had fallen from a higher level, and the pale boy reacted on instinct to stop it before it broke upon Arthur's head.  
It was the biggest mistake of his life.  
'Merlin.. What did you just do?'  
"It, uh, was nothing Sire."

**-**_  
The day finally came when the roof caved  
And a blonde haired boy peeked over.  
_**-**

It wasn't nothing.  
It was **far from **nothing.  
It was everything.  
'That was magic, wasn't it?'

**-**_  
"Merlin?"  
_**-**

Merlin ran.  
Or, at least he tried to.  
Why he believed he could make it past Arthur, who was a Knight for heaven's sake, the dark haired boy couldn't tell you. But he did try, and fail.  
The Prince immediately threw his arms out and trapped Merlin. Whose back was now against the wall. Quite literally.  
"Merlin."  
Said boy only wriggled, trying desperately to free himself. He needed to get away. Far away.  
As much as the thought pained him.  
"_Mer_lin."  
Fear grew in his stomach gripping his body in an ice cold grip.  
The sorcerer started mumbling apologies, which mostly just came out as gibberish. Trying to get out with his life.  
But Arthur was proving to be a major obstacle.  
"_Mer_lin!"  
"Stop saying my name!"

**-**_  
"It's okay to come out now."  
_**-**

Next thing our young, confused, friend knew, he was caught in a tight hug with none other then Arthur Pendragon.  
He could have cried.  
"It's okay. Nothing is going to happen to you."  
Now Merlin _really _**was **crying. With a sob, he closed his grip on the back of his master's, his _friends's, _shirt while simultaneously burying his face in the other's neck. The rest of his walls collapsed, becoming nothing more then dust in the wind.  
Strangely enough, Merlin didn't care. He was too busy clinging to his Prince bawling his eyes out, mindlessly babbling the rest of the things he kept hidden. Arthur only kept his grip on his, rocking back and forth while stroking his young friend's hair.  
And for the first time, Merlin felt safe.

**-**  
_"I won't let anyone, or anything hurt you."  
_** -**

**This was fun to do, and one of the few things I actually finished in a day. I was rather proud of myself.  
I think my carpal tunnel is acting up. Or whatever it's called.  
Hope you liked the story.**

**Con. Crit welcomes  
Flames will be used for s'mores.**

**thank you. **


End file.
